Louis heeeman and john b



(No Model.)

L. HERRMAN & J. B. LAVIN GAR GOUPLING, I $No. 278,014. Patented May 22,1883..

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- UNITED STAT S I PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS HERRMAN AND JOHN B. LAVIN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

ASSIGNORS TO THEMSELVESAFD LOUIS JOSEPH HEBRMAN.

CAFt- CO UPLING.

SPEGIFIGATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,014, dated May 22, 1883.

' Application filed March 29, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LOUIS HERRMAN and JOHN BRENNANLAVIN,'Of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Oar-Couplers, of which the following is a description, sufliciently full,.clear, and exact to enable persons-skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an isometrical perspective view, representing a car provided with ourim proved r5 coupler; Fig. 2, a side elevation, showing the coupling-tongues detached; and Fig. 3, a view showing the coupler in use.

Like letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawin gs.

Our invention relates to that class of carcouplers which are automatic or self-coupling; and it consists in a novel construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed, by which a simpler, cheaper, and more efi'ective device of this character is produced thanis nowin ordinary use.

The nature and operation of the improvementwill be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation, its extreme simplicity rendering an elaborate description unnecessary.

In the drawings, A B represent the cars,

0 D, the draw-bar heads, and G H the coupling-tongues. The draw-bars are provided with springs at their inner ends, and are secured to the car in the usual manner. The coupling-tongues G H are precisely alike in construction, each consisting of an elongated flat bar pivoted at its inner end in the drawbar head, as shown at a), and having its outer or free end wed ge-shaped or tapering to a thin edge, as best seen in Fig. 2. Near the outer end of the tongue Gr there is an elongated slot, at, the tongue H being provided with a corresponding slot, 01. Projecting from the upper side of each of the tongues there is a stud, m,

having its outer side, 1, inclined, and its inner tongue. A straight stud, g, projects from the lower side of each of the tongues, the lower ends of these studs being beveled or inc1ined,. as shownatf, to enable them to pass readily into position for use, as hereinafter described.

Pivoted at t to the forward end of the car -A there is avertically-arranged 1ever,E. This lever extends above the top of the car, andis jointed at its lower end to the bell'cranklever J by the link, c, this lever being also pivoted to the forward end of the car, as seen at z.

' A bell-crank lever, K, is pivoted at i to the upper side of the draw-bar head, one arm of this lever being connected by the linkr to the lever J, and the other by the link to to the tongue between the stud m and pivot a, as shown in Fig. 1.

As the car B is provided with corresponding levers, E J K, arranged and connected in precisely the same manner, it is not deemed essential to describe the same.

In the use of our improvement, theleve'rs E being arranged as shown in Fig. 1, or so as to permit both tongues to drop to. their fullest extent, the carsABa-re hacked or run together, 7 causing the outer or free ends of the tongues to come into contact, and one to override the other, as shown in Fig. 2. As the cars continue to approach, the pointot' the upper tongue will strike and ride up the inclined fat-c lot the stud m, on the lower tongue, until the stud g on the lower side of the upper tongue falls into the slot in the lower tongue, and the stud m on the upper side of the lower tongue enters the slot in the upper tongue, thereby in- 8 terlocking the tongues and coupling the cars in a manner which will be readilyobvious without a more explicit description.

In Fig. 2 the tongue Gr is represented as uppermost, and when the tongues are coupled its stud g will be in the slot (1, and the stud m of the lower tongue in the slot at. In Fig. 3, G is represented-as the lower tongue, the stud g of the tongue H being in the slot at, and the stud m of the tongue G in the slot (1. The 5 studs working, respectively, in the slots to d, act as stops to prevent the cars from coming into contact when coupled. The strain in drawing the cars'is exerted on the downwardly-projecting stud g of the upper tongue, which takes the place of the ordinary coupling-pin, provided with the stud m, stud g, and slot at,

the principal office of the inclined upper studs, m, being to lift the tongues in the act of coupling, as described. It will be obvious, how ever, that in case the lower stud, g, of the upper tongue breaks, the upper stud, m, of the lower tongue being in the slot of the upper tongue will prevent the cars from uncoupling, thereby serving a double purpose, and preventing a class of accidents which frequently occur where ordinary couplings are used.

In uncoupling the cars the upper tongue is detached from the lower one by the brakeinan on the car pushing the lever E, with which it is connected, toward the center of the car-until the studs m g are withdrawn from their respective slots. The lever may also be operated and the cars uncoupled from the ground, if desired, without going between them, by means of the rod M, attached to the lower end of the lever.

Having thus explained our invention, what we claim is 1. In a car-coupler, the pivoted tongue G,

andthe pivoted tongue H, provided with the stud m, stud g, and slot 01, all constructed, combined, and arranged to operate substantially as set forth.-

2. In a car-coupler, the pivoted levers E J K and tongue G, in combination with suitable means for connecting the same, when arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

3. The lever M, in combination with the lever E, to enable the cars to be uncoupled from the ground, or without going between them,

substantially as described.

4. In a car-coupler, the tongue G, having the slot a, stud g, and stud m, and the tongue H, having the slot (1, stud g, and stud m, in combination with the draw-bar heads (3 D and means for uncoupling the cars, substantially as specified.

LOUIS HERRMAN.

JOHN BRENNAN LAVIN.

Witnesses:

G. A. SHAW, H. ELREMIGK. 

